This & That: Quakes notes for Mar. 18, 2013

The San Jose Earthquakes return home to face Seattle Sounders FC in a Western Conferenceshowdown on Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. PT at Buck Shaw Stadium, presented by Supercuts. The game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet California and will air on radio on 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF. The Quakes swept the season series with Sounders FC in 2012, winning all three games. Roller banners will be given out to 2,500 fans, courtesy of Supercuts.

The San Jose Earthquakes pulled off another late comeback to tie the Columbus Crew 1-1 to pick up a valuable road point at Crew Stadium. Justin Morrow played the role of hero with a left-footed blast from just outside the box to level the game in the 73rd minute. Glauber scored the only goal for the Crew.After a tight first half, the Quakes came out strong in the second half and created a number of chances. Shea Salinas had a right-footed drive saved by Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum and Chris Wondolowski had a shot cleared off the line by the Crew defense.However, the Crew struck first through a set piece. Federico Higuain swerved in a corner kick to the near post and Glauber powered through a few defenders to head home the game’s opening goal in the 68th minute.The Quakes struck back just five minutes later as Morrow, playing in his home state of Ohio, netted the equalizer. Ramiro Corrales found Morrow with nice pass at the left edge of the box and he smashed a left-footed shot past a diving Gruenebaum just inside the far post.With the match level at 1-1, Sam Garza nearly struck for the winner late in the match. Adam Jahn got the ball at the top of the box and slipped Garza in with a through ball. Garza’s shot beat Gruenebaum but just missed the far corner.

Seattle Sounders FC (0-1-1, 1 pt.) opened the season with two home games and have yet to get a victory. They lost to the Montreal Impact in their opener 1-0 before earning a 1-1 tie with the Portland Timbers. Eddie Johnson scored the lone goal in the tie with Portland. Outside of league play, Sounders FC advanced to the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals by defeating Tigres (Mexico) in a two-leg series. After falling 1-0 on the road, they came back to win the series 3-2 on aggregate.

The San Jose Earthquakes finished a season sweep of Seattle Sounders FC with a clutch 2-1 win on the road at CenturyLink Field.Chris Wondolowski scored his league record 10th game-winning goal of the season late in the first half and the Quakes held off Sounders FC in the second half for the win. Just two minutes into the match, Dawkins silenced the large crowd at CenturyLink Field with a spectacular goal. The Englishman took a pass from Alan Gordon and dribbled into space before uncorking a right-footed shot that sailed past Sounders FC goalkeeper Michael Gspurning into the upper corner for a 1-0 lead. Sounders FC responded well with a goal from Steve Zakuani before the game was 15 minutes old. Sammy Ochoa freed himself from two Earthquakesdefenders at the edge of the box and slid a low pass across the face of thegoal to Zakuani at the back post. He one-timed a shot past Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch and the game was level at one goal apiece. San Jose continued to press and they were rewarded in the 30th minute off a corner kick. Mehdi Ballouchy’s corner kick went to the back post and was deflected to Victor Bernardez, who smashed a low cross into the six-yard box. Wondolowski was there to touch the ball past Gspurning for his 22nd goal of the year.

History of the Quakes-Seattle Sounders FC Rivalry

The teams first met in regular season play in 2009when the Sounders joined MLS … San Jose won all three meetings in the 2012 regular season, including two wins at CenturyLink Field in Seattle … Chris Wondolowski scored the winner in a 1-0 win on March 31 in Seattle on a penalty kick, following a foul by Marc Burch on Steven Lenhart … Lenhart then scored a dramatic game-winner on Aug. 11 at Buck Shaw Stadium, netting a stoppage time goal following a late equalizer by Sounders FC … San Jose then took a 2-1 win on Sept. 22 at CenturyLink Field with goals from Simon Dawkins and Chris Wondolowski … Seattle did win 1-0 over San Jose in a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match at Kezar Stadium. Current Quakes midfielder Cordell Cato scored the winner for Seattle that night … The Quakes and Sounders FC played three times in 2009, with Seattle taking both meetings at what was then called Qwest Field (2-0 on April 25 and 2-1 on June 13), before the Earthquakes registered a 4-0 triumph at Buck Shaw Stadium on Aug. 2 … In 2010, the Earthquakes edged Sounders FC at Qwest Field, 1-0 on May 22 thanks to a Chris Wondolowski goal, with Seattle returning the favor at Buck Shaw on July 31 through a Fredy Montero strike … In 2011, the two teams battled to a 2-2 draw at Buck Shaw on April 2, with Seattle taking a 2-1 decision at CenturyLink Field on Oct. 15.

Earthquakes Leaders vs. Seattle Sounders FC

Chris Wondolowski has scored five goals in nine matches … Steven Lenhart has two goals in seven appearances … Shea Salinas has four assists in eight meetings … Goalkeeper Jon Busch is 3-2-3 with two shutouts in eight appearances.

Seattle Sounders FC Leaders vs. San Jose

Brad Evans has three goals and one assist in nine appearances … Steve Zakuani has scored two goals and notched two assists in seven games … Eddie Johnson has two goals in 11 games.

Earthquakes- Seattle Sounders Connections

Seattle Sounders FC forward Eddie Johnson and San Jose Earthquakes Juston Morrow were both named to the U.S. Men’s National Team Camp on March 18 for the World Cup qualifiers on March 22 vs. Costa Rica and March 26 at Mexico … Servando Carrasco, Sounders FC’s first round 2011 SuperDraft pick out of Cal, played against Earthquakes Adam Jahn (Stanford) and Colin Mitchell (Oregon State) during their college careers … Sounders FC technical director Chris Henderson played with Quakes General Manager John Doyle in the early 1990s for the U.S. Men’s National Team … Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski played with Sounders FC defender Patrick Ianni from 2006-08 for the Houston Dynamo … Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham and Seattle midfielder Servando Carrasco were teammates at Cal from 2008-10 … Earthquakes defender Victor Bernardez and Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Mario Martinez are teammates on the HonduranNational Team … Earthquakes forward Steven Lenhart and Seattle midfielder Brad Evans played together for the Columbus Crew in 2008 … Sounders FC forward David Estrada grew up in Salinas, Calif., starring at Alisal High School before moving on to UCLA … Quakes forward Mike Fucito played for Sounders FC in 2010 and 2011, appearing in 23 games and scoring three goals … Quakes midfielder Cordell Cato spent the 2012 season with Sounders FC.

COMMUNITY UPDATE

What: Get Earthquakes Fit Closing Ceremony Assembly

Who: Earthquakes player Jason Hernandez

When: Tuesday, March 19 at 1:30 PM

Where: Donald J. Meyer Elementary School in San Jose

What: Get Earthquakes Fit Closing Ceremony Assembly

Who: Earthquakes player TBD

When: Wednesday, March 20 at 1:30 PM

Where: Painter Elementary School in San Jose

What: Get Earthquakes Fit Closing Ceremony Assembly

Who: Earthquakes player Jason Hernandez

When: Thursday, March 21 at 1:30 PM

Where: Fairwood Elementary School in Sunnyvale

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Morrow Called up to U.S. National Team

San Jose Earthquakes defender Justin Morrow has been called up to the United States National Team training camp ahead of two key World Cup qualifying matches. Morrow joined his teammates in Denver, Colo. on Sunday. The U.S. hosts Costa Rica on Friday, March 22 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park at 7 p.m. PT (ESPN, WatchESPN, UniMas) in the first match. The Americans then hit the road to face Mexico on Tuesday, March 26 at Estadio Azteca. That match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. PT and will air live on ESPN, WatchESPN and in all three games for San Jose this year after enjoying his best season as a professional in 2012. Univision. Morrow returns to the nationalteam for the second time in his career, following a call-up to the January camp in Southern California. The Ohio native made his first appearance for the U.S. in a 0-0 draw against Canada on Jan. 29, starting and playing 90 minutes.

Bernardez Called to Honduras Duty

Earthquakes defender Victor Bernardez has been called to Honduras national team duty ahead of 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Mexico on Friday, March 22 and Panama on Tuesday, March 26. Both matches will be played in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Bernardez, 30, has 61 career caps with Los Catrachos.

Corrales Nearing 300 Career Appearances

Quakes captain Ramiro Corrales continued his pursuit of 300 career appearances Saturday against the Columbus Crew. With his start vs. the Crew, Corrales played in his 298th career MLS match (including games played for the Miami Fusion and MetroStars). He is also the leader in games played in a San Joseuniform with 241.

Unbeaten in Six vs. Crew

With the team’s 1-1 tie against the Columbus Crew, the San Jose Earthquakes are now unbeaten in their past six matches against the Crew. The Quakes and Crew have played to a draw in five of those games.

Morrow Scores in Return to Ohio

Quakes defender Justin Morrow, who grew up in Cleveland and attended St. Ignatius High School there, had a happy homecoming against the Columbus Crew on Saturday. He scored the game-tying goal in the 73rd minute to earn the Quakes a 1-1 draw. He now has two career goals. He scored his first career goal on May 2, 2012 against D.C. United.

Jahn Makes First Start

One week after scoring his first career goal, Quakes rookie Adam Jahn earned his first career start against the Columbus Crew. The former Stanford forward, played the full 90 minutes for San Jose in the 1-1 tie against the Crew.

Comeback Kids Again

Despite allowing the first goal for the third straight game, San Jose came back to earn points again on Saturday against the Columbus Crew. After Glauber gave the Crew a 1-0 lead in the 68th minute, Justin Morrow scored in the 73rd minute to give the Quakes a 1-1 tie. Last season, San Jose finished 4-4-6 for 18 points after allowing the first goal, the top record in MLS.

Corrales Moving Up on Career Assists List

Ramiro Corrales recorded an assist for the second straight game against the Columbus Crew on Saturday night. He now has 32 career assists with the Earthquakes, placing him fourth all time in team history. The veteran defender/midfielder is 15 away from the club record held by Ronald Cerritos and trails Eddie Lewis by three for No. 3 overall.

Quakes Sign Martinez

The San Jose Earthquakes announced on March 15 that they signed Honduran forward/midfielder Walter “Pery” Martinez. The World Cup veteran has made 51 appearances with Honduras, while scoring 12 goals. He played in all three matches for Honduras at the 2010 World Cup. In his club career, he has played for CD Victoria (Honduras), CD Marathon (Honduras), Deportivo Alaves (Spain), Beijing Guoan(China) and Chongqing FC (China).

Abu Tommy, Colin Mitchell Sign With Quakes

The Earthquakes announced that they signed Abu Tommy and Colin Mitchell on March 12. Tommy, a native of Sierra Leone, recently played for FC Sheriff (Moldova), after starting his career with Mighty Blackpool in Sierra Leone. Mitchell, a defender, was a third-round pick of the Quakes in the 2013 MLS SupplementalDraft. He played his college soccer at Oregon State, making 70 appearances for the Beavers.

Busch Among All-time Leaders

Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch finds himself among the all-time leaders in several goalkeeping categories. He is eighth in games played (232) and games started (231), while placing ninth in wins (92). With one more win he will move into a tie for eighth with Pat Onstad.

T-Mobile 4G Power Zone Back for 2013

The Earthquakes announced last week that they have teamed with T-Mobile for thesecond year in a row to create the “T-Mobile 4G Power Zone” at all home games for the 2013 season. The promotion will give fans the opportunity to purchase great seats for only $17 – a discount of $10 off the day-of-game price, the most affordable Earthquakes tickets available to the public. Through the agreement, T-Mobile has rebranded the Corner Flag Section 107 at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara as the “T-Mobile 4G Power Zone.” For more information, visit www.sjearthquakes.com/tickets.

Quakes President Dave Kaval’s Office Hours

Earthquakes President Dave Kaval’s office hours will continue in 2013. Fans can drop by his office at 451 El Camino Real, Suite 201 in Santa Clara, Calif., on Tuesdays between 3 and 5 p.m. PT. Participants will be seen on afirst come, first served basis. Be sure to read his blog, Kaval’s Kickoff, exclusively at www.sjearthquakes.com, and follow him on Twitter at @QuakesPrez.

Season Tickets on Sale/Priority for New Stadium

Season tickets for the 2013 season at Buck Shaw Stadium are still available. By purchasing season tickets for the final season at Buck Shaw Stadium, fans can enter the queue for priority seating for the Earthquakes New Stadium. Season ticket holders are currently selecting their seats for the New Stadium. To purchase season tickets or for more information, please contact the Earthquakes headquarters at 408-556-7700.

Stanford Stadium Tickets Now on Sale

Ticket sales for the Quakes match at Stanford on June 29 against the LA Galaxy, presented by XFINITY, have started quickly with 20,000 tickets already soldfollowing the first month of sales. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.sjearthquakes.com or calling 800-225-2277. Groups of 10 or more should call the club’s headquarters at 408-556-7700. Last year’s match drew a capacity crowd of 50,391 for a 4-3 Earthquakes win against theGalaxy.

Wells Fargo Goals for Education

Wells Fargo has again pledged to donate $250 for each goal the Earthquakes score in 2013 through the Goals for Education program. The club has raised $750 so far this season thanks to three goals. The Earthquakes raised $18,000 in 2012 after scoring a club record 72 goals.